The user universe is divided into mousers and keyboarders, with the latter group stoutly insisting that it's faster to keep your fingers on the keyboard than to stop and pick up the mouse to execute a command. If some of your users are in the keyboard camp, these basic shortcuts will be right up their alley.

Note: A comprehensive list of more than 80 Outlook shortcuts is available as a PDF download.

The shortcuts

Action

Shortcut

Create an appointment

Ctrl+Shift+A

Create a contact

Ctrl+Shift+C

Create a folder

Ctrl+Shift+E

Create a journal entry

Ctrl+Shift+J

Create a distribution list

Ctrl+Shift+L

Create a message

Ctrl+Shift+M

Create a meeting request

Ctrl+Shift+Q

Create a note

Ctrl+Shift+N

Create a task

Ctrl+Shift+K

Create a task request

Ctrl+Shift+U

Create a fax

Ctrl+Shift+X

Send a message

Alt+S

Reply to a message

Ctrl+R

Reply All to a message

Ctrl+Shift+R

Forward a message

Ctrl+F

Mark a message as read

Ctrl+Q

Delete an item

Ctrl+D

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